A new design School

Style den: Calcutta has a new design school in Unitedworld: Institute of Design, affiliated to Gulbarga University, Karnataka. Spread over 8,000sq ft on the 10th floor of Infinity Benchmark in Sector V, Salt Lake, the institute will be operational from July. On offer are five four-year graduation courses in fashion, interior, jewellery, accessory and graphic design. “There are hundreds of design institutes but they are more like hobby courses. Here we will focus on students who want to make design their career,” said institute director Himanshu Sharma.

UID has been built on the “NID (National Institute of Design) model”. “UID has been formed with a few people who established NID. We will have visiting faculty from other institutes as well,” said Himanshu.

Calcutta will be the first UID stop in eastern India, after similar schools in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Designer Abhishek Dutta has been signed up as the creative director of the fashion design department. “The problem we face is that most interns come after doing part-time courses… they are not thorough. So, this institute is good news,” said Abhishek. He will scrutinise the curriculum and help students in practical training.